Vancouver's High School Hybrid Plan

[Anonymous]

My friend lives here and sent me this link to what her school district in Canada is doing, especially for high school.

I think it is innovative and haven't seen anything like it yet. They are planning for a hybrid model right now because spread is pretty low, but it seems they are making plans for COVID to get worse, and to prepare for the fact that they may need to go to full distance learning.

The innovative part of this plan is that they have moved to a quarter system. Instead of full year classes, each quarter students will take just 2 intensive classes. That does means that they will have to commit to this system for the full year so students can have all 8 classes.

They will have students come to campus for in person instruction, daily, for Class 1 for about 2 hours, and then stay for what they call Flex time for about another 2 hours. Flex time is for extra help, special ed, and students who are taking AP classes, or even to work on certain clubs like yearbook. Or students can leave if they want, or use the time as a study hall.

The students return home after the Flex period, and do about 2 hours of online instruction (mostly asynchronous it looks like -- recorded lectures) for their Class 2.

After two weeks, they switch Class 2 is in the morning in person and class 1 is in the afternoon.

At school some students come in the morning for class 1 followed by flex; others come for flex first followed by class 1. That limits the amount of students needed to be in the class 1 by half.

As a parent of a high school student looking at 8 classes in a row online all day, I think this would be a much better way to go. I'd rather she only have to deal with 2 online classes (intensively) for three - four hours a day, than 8 classes. It just seems saner and more emotionally healthy.

I don't think our schools in the US could replicate this model though because most of our students ride buses to school and I don't think the school bus situation would work out for this model. It could be a good model, though, for all online instruction.

[Anonymous]

I think it is a terrible plan. I wouldn't want my child to have algebra 2 the first 10 weeks of 10th grade then not have a math class until 11th grade. Or what happens if you have Spanish or French the first ten weeks of school then take the next level the following school year. What happens if your 2 classes are PE and Art.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it is a terrible plan. I wouldn't want my child to have algebra 2 the first 10 weeks of 10th grade then not have a math class until 11th grade. Or what happens if you have Spanish or French the first ten weeks of school then take the next level the following school year. What happens if your 2 classes are PE and Art.

My thought exactly. You cannot do math that compressed and get a really good foundation.

[Anonymous]

I think it's a good plan. I really enjoyed having shorter, more intensive classes in college. It was easier to focus and I feel I learned a lot more. There's little room for slacking off or procrastination.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it is a terrible plan. I wouldn't want my child to have algebra 2 the first 10 weeks of 10th grade then not have a math class until 11th grade. Or what happens if you have Spanish or French the first ten weeks of school then take the next level the following school year. What happens if your 2 classes are PE and Art.

My thought exactly. You cannot do math that compressed and get a really good foundation.

It's obviously a trade off. I think a 10 week compressed, intensive course where the teacher is just teaching that class, and one other class, would be better than taking a 40 minute online class daily, on top of 7 other online classes. Just logging in and out to the different classes each day is going to take some time. It means kids are on the screen for a lot less time too.

I took French I in a four week summer school class at a college when I was in 10th grade so I know it can be done! (Went on to successfully take French II and III in high school over a year).

If your two classes happen to be PE and Art? I mean, I guess that's what you study for 10 weeks. If your last two periods every day are PE and Art, what happens then? You have a non-academic part of your day.

[Anonymous]

Ontario, where I live, is doing the same thing. Elementary school is in person 5 days a week with the option for distance learning for those who choose it.

[Anonymous]

I'm pretty sure Pacific Grove in Monterey, CA is implementing this model so it is happening in the US.